joshgauthier's review
3.0
The Body's Question is a collection which includes some great moments of language--images and lines that demand the reader stops to consider them, to see things differently, to encounter voices removed by time and distance but deeply personal in their unexpected capturing of humanity.
aristosakaion's review
3.0
glowing language. giving myself the benefit of going back to life on mars again after reading it last year and growing as a reader of poetry ever since.
nakarem's review
3.0
2.5 stars
Maybe I listened to it at the wrong time because I cannot pinpoint any actual things I dislike about these poems but they also barely hit me so I'm not sure I want to give the 3 stars I decided on
Maybe I listened to it at the wrong time because I cannot pinpoint any actual things I dislike about these poems but they also barely hit me so I'm not sure I want to give the 3 stars I decided on
spacestationtrustfund's review
4.0
"Self-Portrait as the Letter Y" is a great poem, and I recommend it. Here's my favourite bit:
You are pure appetite. I am pureTracy K. Smith is really good at adopting different voices within a single poem.
Appetite. You are a phantom
In that far-off city where daylight
Climbs cathedral walls, stone by stolen stone.
I am invisible here, like I like it.
The language you taught me rolls
From your mouth into mine
The way kids will pass smoke
Between them.
whoz_ophelia's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I wanted so much for Tracy K. Smith's "The Body's Question" to be a five star read considering I'm obsessed with "Life On Mars." Smith explores the vestiges of colonization, war, family, loneliness, and heartbreak with an expert pen, but as brilliant and breathtaking as some of the imagery and language was, most of the poems just lacked the philosophical magic I've come to know and love.
My favorite poems were "A Hunger Honed," "Night Letters," and "Night."
My favorite poems were "A Hunger Honed," "Night Letters," and "Night."
kenningjp's review
3.0
This collection contains some great lines and a scattering of good poems. But, I think Smith gets better with age. I prefer her newer books. That is not to say this isn't worth reading. In fact, this book should be read by lovers of her work and then work through her new stuff to see her maturing and changing. It's a remarkable poetic trajectory.
earlgreybooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a big fan of Tracy K. Smith's work, but this is my least favourite of the three of I've read. I just didn't feel the same rush of emotion or inspiration from her words as I did with the previous two.